


Just A Game

by kittyface27



Series: Just A Game [1]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Gen, Ghost?, Humor, Mystery, No Romance, One Piece - Freeform, One Shot, Satisfying Ending, ace is a little shit, ace is sexy, ace trolling Marco, bratty ace, dominant ace, driving marco insane, maybe a friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-17
Updated: 2020-10-17
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:48:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27067414
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kittyface27/pseuds/kittyface27
Summary: When Marco is kissed by some random guy on an island, he didn't expect it to be the beginning of some curse of an infuriating kid, doing his best to drive Marco insane. Is he, or does Ace actually exist? And how would Marco beat his game and finally be free again?
Relationships: Fushichou Marco | Phoenix Marco & Portgas D. Ace
Series: Just A Game [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1977040
Comments: 1
Kudos: 26





	Just A Game

**This was so fun to write. It veers off in a different direction, since I was writing as I went along. There's a lot of sexual talk and light behavior, but no pay off. Enjoy~**

* * *

Marco had just finished his mission, a rare assassination mission. It wasn't fun, and took a long time to get to that island. It happened so quickly, no mess, no commotion. He just found the target, somebody who had stolen important things from one of the smaller Whitebeard ships. Since nobody knew where he went, it had been Marco's task to find him.

And he did, after a week of flying from island to island. He was going to his hotel room, exhausted and ready for bed, even though he had to leave early in the morning to try and make it back to the Moby in under three days. He didn't want it to take so long on the way back. At least he knew where he was going with an eternal pose to the ship.

He was unlocking his door when he felt someone come up from behind him. He just thought the guy would pass right by him, since there were a lot of rooms in this place. It was a nice place. He didn't expect to be turned around and pressed to the wall by a young guy, who was kissing him.

Marco was baffled, but when the mystery guy's hands ran up his back underneath his shirt, Marco thought maybe he could get some nice sex. He'd earned it. He kissed the guy back, and opened the bedroom door. But he was surprised when he was pinned to the wall of the hallway and not shoved into the room and to the big bed.

His hands were pinned, the guy very strong, surprisingly strong. He moved his lips to Marco's neck, biting softly. He moved to under his jaw, and Marco had never had such arousing kissing like this. The guy moved back to his mouth, and Marco kissed back. Despite him being much younger and shorter, he was _strong._

Marco didn't attempt to get out of his grip as he sensed no danger. The guy bit down on his lip and Marco moaned when blue flames healed it over. His hands stayed around Marco's wrists, heavy pressure there that didn't hurt, but actually felt pretty nice. He didn't feel trapped in a dangerous way.

But the guy sure was dominant. Marco tried pushing him away, but he kept kissing him. Marco was getting irritated, and bit down on the other's lip before forcing himself up and against the guy, punning him to the other wall. They were in complete view of anybody walking by, even as Marco pinned the mystery guy to the floor.

He did expect to be fought about it, but all he got was a growl and a harsh bite to the neck that just made Marco moan. The guy below smirked triumphantly. Like he was just playing a game. Did he want sex or not? Cause Marco wasn't doing it out here. The bedroom door was still completely open and inviting.

It was disappointing when he was flipped over and kissed one more time before the guy got up and started to walk away. The pirate was completely out of breath. "What was that about?" Marco asked, adjusting his shirt.

The guy stopped and looked at Marco. Then he grinned, all teeth and shining bright. "You looked like you'd be fun to kiss." So, he hadn't come for sex, he just felt like kissing Marco? He blinked a few times about it. This was… strange. But to be honest, that make out session was hotter than he could imagine sex with anyone else would be.

And he was disappointed, thinking that the mystery man would have been _wild_ in bed. Marco had never been in any situation like that where _he_ wasn't the one in control. "What's your name?" he called.

"Ace, Marco," Ace said and then turned the corner. The blonde couldn't deny that the way he just casually said his name didn't send shivers up his spine. He frowned and ran forward after him, but when he turned the corner Ace turned at, he wasn't there. Marco was positive he wasn't imagining the whole thing, seeing the pink rings around his wrist.

He wanted to know who Ace was and see him again. Even if it was just for another fucking _sexy_ kiss. He sighed and went back to his room. Luckily, nobody had seen them, though he did see a man outside his door, asking Marco if he saw anybody hitting the wall. "Sorry, sir. I saw nobody," he lied.

Looking at the wall, he hadn't noticed the guy had broken the drywall around Marco's pinned hands. Fuck, he was strong. Strong and bold, since he knew who Marco was. A normal person wouldn't walk up to a pirate with a bounty of over a billion and just ravish his mouth and then walk away.

Well, if Ace was just playing a game, Marco had to say he enjoyed it very much. He walked back into his room and went to bed, wondering if maybe he was already asleep and dreaming. When he woke up, he ran his hands down his face, thinking about that dream before he turned the lamp on and saw some light bruising on his wrists in the shape of fingers.

He hurried to the bathroom and turned the light on, looking to see he actually had light bruising. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been bruised. His lips were also a little red, still. Had Ace been using haki? But Marco really didn't think so. And he hadn't been trying to hurt him, as Marco had sensed no hostility.

But it bothered him. How was he hurt? Pressure on them didn't hurt, but they were definitely there. He went to his room, got dressed and put his things together before leaving the hotel to search the small town for Ace. Now not only did he want another enjoyable scene like the night before, but he wanted to ask how he'd caused Marco harm.

Not harm that would bother many people, just Marco. He was a phoenix, he can't bruise. And when Ace bit down on him, he didn't leave any marks, only the wrists. He searched for him, asking people if they had seen him at all. Nobody had.

At the time, Marco had been more focusing on the sensation than what Ace actually looked like. He remembered black hair and freckled cheeks. He hadn't had a shirt on, and Marco had seen his freckled shoulders, too. He was both adorable and sexy.

And he had been younger than Marco, yet was brave enough to challenge him in a _unique_ fight and pretty much win. The first mate wanted to meet him again, know more about him and maybe try and be the dominant one this time.

But, he found no trace of Ace, even in the forest. Not a single sign that he'd been there other than the accounts of random people who said they might have seen him walking around, but nobody could confirm. Asked if they thought he was scary looking, since his eyes were so piercing and how rough he'd been, they said who they were talking about wasn't scary at all.

When he found no trace, he gave up with a deep frown and disappointed sigh. He turned into a phoenix and flew away. He was following the log pose strapped to his beak right in front of him, easy to see but looking stupid. But then he felt something in the water below him. Something huge and dangerous.

He immediately raised altitude for safety purposes, not knowing what was below him. It could be a sea king or a shark. They were aggressive, and he wouldn't be surprised if one was following him. He continued on, but the presence stayed there. Marco flapped his wings faster, zooming away, trying to get away from whatever was stalking him.

But, alarmingly, it kept up with him, speeding up easily. He turned in a jerking movement and it jerked aside, too. Marco was actually very uncomfortable with this. He was unable to see anything in the water. It was too deep to see from the surface. And it wasn't as if it were possible to inspect closer. Not only would that be dangerous if the presence was hostile, but he could end up in the water and then he was screwed.

All day, as he flew at varying speeds and altitudes, the presence did not leave. It had been stalking him for hundreds of miles. Which meant it didn't have any territory and was fine with going off in one direction. When a sea king barreled towards the presence, which was big but not that big, Marco stopped flying and just hovered above.

Then there was a missing presence, and the massive sea king floated to the surface, dead and with a massive bite mark nearly decapitating it's entire head. His eyes widened in fear and worry. What was following him was deadly. It easily took out that sea king in an instant. And it still didn't show itself, still below the point of being visible from above.

Marco continued on, his feathers becoming damp with sweat when the thing still didn't let up. It didn't get tired, either. Marco was cruising most of the time, not expending much energy while doing so. This creature had to swim against pressure, water, but it kept up easily, its stamina incredible.

He still didn't get a good idea of its size, but based on that bite, it had to be very large. Large enough to almost bite through a thick sea king neck. Eventually, it did go away, late into the night. Marco assumed it got tired or hungry or bored. He sighed at this, relieved. He was not weak for fearing something like that. He knew he wasn't. That thing would be able to kill him if it ate him in one bite. But he stayed above the water, high above the water as he slept while flying. It kept his senses alert, but he needed to rest.

He was only daydreaming, not actually sleeping, but it did rest his mind and body for the long journey. He checked around, and found the presence was nowhere near. Thank god, the thing was scaring him. He didn't need to be bored and hungry _and_ scared. He was unable to eat anything since he wasn't dumb enough to try and pick some fish up from the water.

Just as he sighed, he was shocked as that presence appeared again, right below him. It had found him again, after at least 12 hours of being separate. He wanted to get home already. It hadn't made any move of aggression, but he was also afraid that it would be able to damage the Moby Dick if it was hunting Marco.

The baby den den started ringing, and Marco stopped in the air. He was flexible with his talons and was able to snake them into his bag. He changed into his half form, but kept his attention on the thing below him, which stopped abruptly. It didn't move at all. Right below Marco, deep below. Following his every move.

But he felt no danger. Fear at its size, stamina and how determined it was to keep up, but it didn't give off anything hostile. Not right now, at least. "Pops?"

" _Hello, son. How are you? Are you still flying?"_ He'd told Pops the morning before that he would make the whole fight in one go.

"Y-Yeah, I'm still flying." Whitebeard didn't miss the waver in his voice. He asked what was wrong, voice serious. Knowing that if something made him stutter, it was alarming. For Marco to lose his cool even slightly was worrying. "There's something following me, just below the surface. I can't see it. It's been following me since I left the island."

" _Has it attacked you? Maybe it's heading in your direction?"_ Pops was trying to make him unafraid. It didn't work.

He replied, "It left me for a good four hours, at least, before it came back. And it's following me. I know this because it's waiting there, right below me. Just stationary, so it's not a shark or sea king. Pops, it bit right through a sea king and almost decapitated it with one bite." Whitebeard was worried now, too.

Marco asked what he thought it was. " _I have no idea. Water dragons never harm humans or get near the surface. I doubt it's that."_ Marco doubted that as well, since water dragons purposely avoided humans and the surface. Unless this one was perhaps sick and wasn't acting right. But why follow him without trying anything? Was it just curious about the flaming bird?

That could be why, just curious about something it didn't understand. "I'm concerned, Pops. I just want to be at the ship, I feel so exposed just up in the air," Marco confessed. Whitebeard tried to comfort him by telling him to stay on the line. Marco did, flying again. It followed. "It started following me again. No matter how fast I go."

" _Are you positive it isn't a sea king?"_ Marco said he wasn't positive about anything. What it was, if it was dangerous, what it's purpose was. He couldn't even tell how big it was. The thing could be small with a big bite. But that sea king had been quite large.

As Marco flew and the thing followed, he sensed another sea king coming. "A sea king is coming at it," Marco said, glad there was somebody to speak to. He was way out of reach for the sea king, even if it jumped. It swam down, but did not float up with a huge bite mark again. The presence of the hunter was still there, and instead of a bitten sea king, this one floated up with its head twisted around but still connected to the spine.

The beast had snapped its neck. "Oh my god. It killed the sea king by snapping its neck. With hands, it seems. It still hasn't come close enough to see."

" _Hurry home, son. If it comes here, then we will fight it off."_ Then there was a loud rumbling from the water, causing ripples and waves. It was deafening, and Marco shot upwards. He demanded to know if the captain had heard that.

"It came from the water! What do I do, Pops?!"

" _Calm down, son. Be calm."_ But the yonko had heard it, too, and his voice was strained. But then the presence quieted, and Marco felt it get a little further down. It was still there, but it was nowhere near the surface. He finally paused and closed his eyes, searching around him with his haki.

It was harder to sense things in the ocean, but he did his damn best to find out what it was, how big it was. His observation haki showed no fish around, but it did recognize the creature. It was larger than the Moby Dick. His eyes opened and his face went white. It was big and strong enough to damage the ship. Possibly sink it.

" _Marco?"_ Whitebeard asked in worry, since Marco had just gone silent.

"It's definitely not a sea king, and it's drifted lower, but I can tell it's still there. Pops, it's larger than the entire Moby Dick. This thing could sink us." The captain pointed out that it hadn't shown any aggression at Marco, hadn't given off any hostility. Why would it pass up Marco and instead hurt the ship?

He told Marco to not jump to conclusions. To keep his calm. Marco took many deep breaths, calming his breathing. He was right. This creature hadn't shown danger or hostility. But it's determination to follow Marco and its size were what was more scary. All thoughts of that sexy kiss and mysterious Ace were completely gone.

Then he did something stupid. He lowered himself to the surface, ready to get away if it rose suddenly. It had stopped again when Marco stopped. He got close enough to the water for one of his talons to touch it. The monster did not attack or approach him. So what did it want, if not to eat him?

"What do you want?!" he called. That low rumbling was made again. Like how whales sounded, only it was deafening. But it still did not attack. Marco rose, feeling more safe but still fearful. Whitebeard had quieted. He finally asked what had happened, though his voice showed nervousness.

"I don't think it wants to eat me. I went really close to the surface and it did nothing - I know, but I had to see. I'm going to try and not be afraid. If it doesn't want to attack or eat me, then I shouldn't be afraid. Ma-Maybe it's just really curious. I'm not a regular bird or human." Whitebeard told him to be careful and aware. "I will be. I'll be there soon, no more stops." Then the conversation was over, and he transformed back into bird form, the hanging log pose wrapped back around his beak.

The monster followed him again. Marco made a cry in his bird form, looking down, wondering what it would do. It moaned, or whatever that low groaning sound was. It was much more powerful than Marco's bird noise. He did it back, and got a response again. Marco knew he was being stupid, but he wanted to see how long it would do it.

For a full five minutes, the thing and him conversed in moans and cries. Then it stopped, and Marco rose higher when he felt it come closer to the surface. He still couldn't see it clearly, but he did see a black shadow that fit the size his haki showed him. Marco rose higher to try and get a better look.

It _was_ a water dragon. But why was it following Marco at the surface? In all his years of sailing, before he was captain and after, Pops had never once come across or seen a water dragon of any size. He once said he wished to see one before he died, but did not expect it. But its size… its size still worried him.

Eventually, it swam away, but he was not surprised when it came back to follow him. It took another twelve hours before he saw a black spot that was a ship, but not the Moby Dick. A marine vessel. He flew higher, not really wanting to be seen and cause any sort of disturbance, but the water dragon kept its pace and direction, before slamming into the ship and crushing it into nothing but chunks of wood floating on the surface.

The blood drained from his face. Now he was scared again. "D-Don't attack my ship, okay?" Marco called. There was no response before the low moaning sound reverberated through the sea. He didn't know if that was an agreement or not. But, he'd find out soon, dreading it, when he saw another black spot on the horizon. He was back!

The dragon sped up, but when Marco landed on the ship, it dove and the shadow was no longer visible. Then it was gone, it's presence showing it either swam away or went much deeper. He fell to his knees, taking deep breaths.

Thatch ran over and Izo, too, worried about Marco. Pops approached as well. "Son, is it still there?" Marco said he didn't know.

"What? What are you talking about?" Thatch asked impatiently. Marco stood and explained that a water dragon had followed him to the ship from the island. Roughly 2,000 miles. "What?!" Marco nodded, and said it had just been there, but he couldn't sense it anymore. He frowned and said it hadn't attacked him and had actually had some sort of conversation with him.

"So… it's a friendly monster?" Haruta asked, part of the crowd now gathered around. He said he wasn't sure, but he didn't want to think about it anymore. Thatch told him he should eat, and he nodded, hurrying inside, starving. While he wasn't worrying about the stalking dragon anymore, since it was gone, it seemed, he thought about Ace.

"Izo, do you recognize the name 'Ace'?" he asked conversationally. Izo replied he'd never heard it before. Marco nodded, though he didn't hide the disappointment. "Why? Did you meet someone named Ace?" Marco nodded. "Why do you want to know?"

Marco wished he hadn't brought it up, but when his face turned red, he knew he was doomed. Izo demanded to know the juicy info. Demanding to know who he was, why he was asking. He finally obliged, and explained he just attacked Marco because he thought Marco would be fun to kiss. His face was red as Thatch burst into hysterics.

"He also gave me bruises, which made me more curious," Marco said, and the other two were no longer laughing. "They're really hard to see now, but look," he said, holding out his left wrist. Thatch hurried over and Izo took it and examined the skin.

"You're right, there is bruising. Did he use haki?" Marco shook his head. Then Izo looked mischievous. "Was he holding you down, hmm?" Marco groaned and let out an annoyed sigh.

He admitted, "Yeah. Against the wall in the hotel hallway. He didn't even want to go into the bedroom. Just kissed me and disappeared." Thatch snickered, saying maybe Ace was playing hard to get. "I don't know. It was weird."

Izo asked if he wanted to see him again. "Yeah. I want to know about him. How he bruised me and why he thought I looked like I'd be fun to kiss. I'm also annoyed." He had a scowl at the end, and Izo smiled behind his sleeve. He got up and came back with Haruta.

"We have somebody we want you to find. Can you do that?" he asked the smallest commander. When he was told why Ace was wanted to be found, he agreed immediately. Curious about this mystery person that had taken control over his brother.

"He did not take control!" Marco protested. They glanced at his wrists. He huffed and crossed his arms, wishing he hadn't said anything about them. He should have said the bruises were somewhere else, not in such an embarrassing place.

But when he went to bed, he finally thought about the disappearing kid. He rolled over on his side and looked out the porthole window and saw a huge eye peeking in at him. He froze, stopped his breathing. He was terrified, because he didn't feel its presence at all. It was like a ghost or a shadow.

When the eye disappeared and it seemed to swim past, it was so long it looked like it never ended. When it did, Marco ran to the window, pressing his face against it, but saw nothing but dark waters. There was no movement detected, and nothing seen. He moved the curtain over the porthole window.

He got barely any sleep.

-x-

Marco couldn't take his eyes off of the wall of the galley. The portholes were just under the water. His brothers were worried about him. "Seriously, what's wrong?" Haurta pestered. Marco jerked up and asked what they meant. "You're acting weird! What's up with staring at the walls! The thing is gone, it's nowhere around here."

"You're wrong. It could be near right now. It was looking in the window last night and I didn't feel anything. Like it was a ghost. I don't know how it did it, but it was there," Marco insisted. They all fell silent. It sounded impossible, but it was _Marco._ He wouldn't be spouting bullshit like that if he wasn't serious.

Thatch looked at the windows, too. "This whole thing is freaking me out. Why'd you bring it back?" he asked. Marco snapped that he hadn't brought it back on purpose. He'd tried to get it to go away, outrun it. It just followed, knowing where he was. Followed him day and night, never hurting him but never leaving.

"Still… I don't like thinking there are things out there we can't sense," Izo said warily. Now all of the commanders were looking at the wall with the multiple porthles. Marco said, firmly, that he wasn't crazy. Whitebeard agreed, but did acknowledge that he hadn't sensed it either, but that he believed that it was there if Marco had seen it.

He was so glad his father believed him. Because Marco knew what he'd seen, he knew he wasn't imagining it or dreaming. That dragon was there with them in the water, unseen and undetected. He looked back at his food and picked at it. It was unnerving, knowing something capable of crushing them was out there. And they didn't know. Couldn't tell.

After breakfast, Marco went into his room to shower. When he closed the door, he was shocked to see Ace was on the bed, cross legged. Marco stumbled into the closed door. He rubbed his eyes, but Ace was there, grinning at him, looking cocky. "How'd you get in here?" he asked in shock.

Ace shrugged. "Maybe I followed you. You were fun to kiss."

Marco still didn't understand. How did Ace get in here, past everybody else on the ship? How did he follow him all that way? How did he avoid the dragon that was following him the whole time. "But did you get inside this room? Nobody saw you or everyone would have flipped." He couldn't understand.

"Maybe I can teleport. Maybe I'm a ghost and only you see me. Maybe I can turn invisible." He walked closer to Marco and pressed him against the wall. Marco started to press back, but was stuck again. Ace put his lips at Marco's ear, making him blush, and whispered, "Or... I'm just being a prick."

He pushed away from the wall and sat back down on the bed, putting his feet up and resting his arms behind his head. "Who knows how I got here?" Marco didn't know what to make of Ace. How had he gotten there? Was he mocking Marco, just fuckng around with him? Or was he just thinking he was funny.

"You're not funny," Marco said in an annoyed voice.

"Mmm, don't be boring. It's plenty funny," Ace replied easily. "Aren't you going to do something?" Marco didn't know what he was talking about. "This is what you wanted at the island, right? Me in a bed; you opened your room to me." Marco couldn't understand what was going on. Why and how was Ace here?

And why was he talking about sex? What Marco assumed was sex. He couldn't figure him out at all. Now even more than before, he had no idea what to make of Ace. He didn't see himself figuring him out easily. So he asked, "How did you bruise my wrists? I'm a phoenix, I don't get bruises."

Ace grinned. "Maybe there are things stronger than a phoenix's flames," he said casually. Marco was scowling, irritated and impatient. "Come on, don't be so boring. Where's the fun in me telling you?" Marco took a deep breath and a sigh. When he opened his eyes, Ace was taking his boots off. He asked what Ace was doing.

The younger man huffed in annoyance. "I'm giving you what you wanted, you know." He ripped his shorts off. Marco sputtered out, "Wait, wait, no." His face was bright red. Ace made a pout, and then shrugged. He went to his shorts and started to put them back on. "If you don't want to, then I'll leave. Though, maybe sex with me would curse you."

He was totally fucking around with Marco. "Stop fucking around," he said sternly.

"Your loss. I think I feel pretty good in bed, but whatever floats your boat." Then he opened the bedroom door and closed it. Marco didn't want him showing himself until Marco figured out how he got there and what the hell he wanted. That little prick, messing with Marco so much that he didn't know what to think anymore.

He slammed the door open and demanded Ace wait, but he wasn't out in the hallway. He froze and started throwing open every door in the hallway. He ran back into his room, breathing quickly. Was he hallucinating? What was going on? Was Ace a curse or a ghost like he hinted? But he was just messing with him.

Marco sat on the bed, putting his head in his hands, until he looked to the side and saw Ace's boots still right there. He snatched them up and ran out of the room. Somehow, Ace was gone again. But he left his shoes, and Marco needed to know if he was hallucinating. Even if he wasn't, he didn't want to give this away before he knew something.

He walked into the galley, calmly, and asked if anyone recognized these boots. Blenheim asked, "Is there even anyone on this crew with feet that small? Where did you get those?" Marco felt relief flood into him. So, he wasn't hallucinating, and Ace wasn't a ghost. Marco said he found them in the hallway. "Put them in the lost and found."

Marco nodded, and walked back out, holding the shoes to his chest in relief, breathing out a sigh. He wasn't insane. But that just made him even more baffled about Ace. What he was doing, how he got there. He didn't put the shoes in the lost and found, but back into his room, where he set them down and turned to see his bed was suddenly occupied again.

The phoenix closed the door again, locking it and glaring at Ace furiously. "Never lost your cool before? The calm, collected Phoenix Marco, being bested by some annoying kid." Marco stormed over and roughly grabbed him, shoving him on the bed. "Ooh, are you the dominant this time?"

That was not what Marco had been planning, he just wanted Ace to not get away again. He wanted to know what the hell was happening. And he was right, Marco was not calm and collected, he was confused and angry and annoyed. But the words made his face flush. Ace wrapped his legs around Marco's waist.

"That's what you wanted. You wanted to fuck me, right? I'm a good kisser, I know that," Ace said sensually. Marco would not be baited, would control himself. He asked if Ace went around seducing people. "Who knows? Maybe you're special. Or maybe you're not." Marco's face went red, _now_ he was losing control. Ace's legs were still wrapped around his waist. Was he seriously wanting Marco to fuck him or was he just being a shit head? Messing with him like this, making him doubt himself, what he was seeing.

But he was irritated that Ace was acting like he did this all the time. He grabbed his hips and ripped his shorts off. Ace's eyes went a bit wider, but he still had that shit eating grin on. Marco was hard by now, and would wreck Ace, show him who was boss. He pulled his shirt off, and Ace grabbed his hair, bringing his face up to kiss him.

He pulled Ace's underwear down, but suddenly he wasn't there anymore. The bed space was empty. He jerked up and looked around, but Ace was gone and his shorts were as well. Then he looked at the wall, clenching his teeth angrily, frustrated and confused. Then he saw a shit eating grin outside the window.

His eyes widened and he ran to the window, banging on it and looking horrified. Ace was somehow outside of the ship. "There's a dragon!" he shouted. Ace just winked and swam out of sight, deeper. He went so deep his presence disappeared. He was gone, and Marco stumbled to his bed, breathing heavily. Who - _what_ \- was Ace?

He couldn't have a devil fruit now, he was swimming in the water. Marco closed his eyes tightly and stormed out of the room and outside. He turned into his half phoenix form and flew high above the ship. He saw no human body. Ace hadn't come up from the surface yet. He waited, but after ten minutes, he was sure Ace wouldn't be coming up for air.

But he was also sure Ace didn't just kill himself. Unless the dragon killed him. But he hadn't seen it today so far. Didn't sense or see it. He eventually landed back on deck. He wouldn't tell anybody or they'd think he was crazy. But he had the shoes. But even then, he didn't want to go back and find they were missing, too.

Pops approached after he was sitting on the highest yardarm. He looked confused, and asked to speak to him. Marco dropped down and in front of the captain who was in his chair now. "Are you alright, son? I'm worried, you seem distracted."

Then Ace was behind him, perfectly dry. He grinned wickedly and had a chain. He put his arms up above Pops, as if he was going to strange him with the chain before he disappeared. He'd gotten Marco to tense. "Son?" Pops hadn't sensed him.

"Somebody is messing with me, it has me distracted," Marco said. Ace truly was playing a game with him, wanting to make him feel crazy. But he wasn't crazy. He just wished somebody had been around just then to see Ace. To really show if Marco was going insane, if he was really crazy. What if the dragon was not there, either?

When the captain was going to respond in worry, Marco asked, "You heard the groaning sound over the den den, right? When I was still heading back and was freaking out about the monster?" Whitebeard nodded, saying it had been quite loud. Pops frowned more, looking very concerned and confused. But Marco couldn't say anything and risk looking crazy.

"I'm just still shaken up about it, I guess, angry that I can't sense it but know it's out there." It was the truth, but not nearly all of it.

"It's the New World. Impossible things happen every day. During my life there has been one constant on these seas: everything is not always what it seems," the man said, and Marco nodded, saying he was going to take a shower. "Alright. If you need to talk about anything, you can talk to me."

Marco smiled. "I'm fine, Pops. Promise." The captain nodded, though he didn't look assured. Marco walked back into his room before someone grabbed his wrist tightly. He kept walking, but the grip tightened until he was in his room and shut it closed. He finally looked and there was nothing there, but he still felt the pressure on his wrist.

Ace was this time sitting on the dresser, kicking his bare feet and with a smirk on. And a hat he hadn't had on before. "Why are you doing this?" Marco demanded, not knowing what the point of this was.

The teen grinned. "It's a game," he said simply. "I like to play games."

Marco scowled at him. "It's not a game to me. You're making me feel crazy, that's not a game. What is this all for?" he asked angrily. When he blinked Ace wasn't on the dresser anymore, he was now behind him, touching his chest.

"If you can defeat me, you win the game," he whispered in Marco's ear. "It's not unbeatable, it wouldn't be a game otherwise." Marco asked how he was supposed to beat him, though he didn't expect a satisfactory answer, which he wasn't surprised he didn't get. "You'll have to figure it out yourself.

"But, that dragon that follows you. You shouldn't be afraid of it," he said, his hands on Marco's shoulders now. "It will follow you until you beat my game. Anywhere you go, it'll be there, whether you know it or not."

He smacked Marco's ass. "Go take a shower, hot stuff. Sorry I distracted you." And he was gone, leaving Marco humiliated. He hated that fucking brat. He still didn't know what he was, but Marco's life and sanity was a game to him. And Marco knew Ace was making the rules of his twisted game. The odds were completely against him.

Marco saw movement in the window, the huge eye again with no presence. He stormed into his bathroom and showered, expecting Ace to pop in at a moment's notice and humiliate him once again. Why did he ever let him kiss him? He would never kiss or bed a stranger again after this. What was Ace? And what was he there for?

-x-

Ace walked around Marco's group of brothers. He tapped each of their heads, playing duck duck goose that none of them but Marco knew was happening. Ace plucked the card out of Marco's hand and walked to the other side. "Ace of Spades. You can win this game, Marco. Ace of Spades."

"King of Hearts."

Ace sighed, dropping the card nobody noticed had moved anywhere. "How will you expect to win a game early if you play by the rules?" Marco wanted to snap that that was what a game _was._ A real game, not this attempt to drive him insane. It had been only two days since Marco officially started Ace's twisted game.

He already was being driven insane. He hated Ace, he hated his presence and his non-presence. He hated his dragon that frightened Marco, still. It had seemed like it didn't exist until it pressed itself against the ship, tilting it. So, Marco was confused and lost about what was real and what wasn't.

He could touch Ace, but nobody else saw him. That dragon still hadn't been sighted by anybody, but they all knew it was there based on the noises made. Never its presence, which was bothering everybody. But Marco the most. He was the only one who knew it was really there. Well, or wasn't there. That was what was frustrating. He didn't know.

Ace was incredibly good at humiliating Marco even when he was alone. The second night, he went into his room exhausted, and found a naked Ace on the bed, laying on his stomach. All he had on were his boots and a hat. Marco couldn't help his body's reaction, and he froze, scowling.

"Ooh, got a problem there? Don't mind me, take care of it," he taunted, his voice light like always. Then he was gone, his shoes as well. Marco didn't know if he was still in the room, so he refused to "take care of it", and went to bed uncomfortable, willing it away. Marco wouldn't be surprised if he woke up to Ace touching him in some sexual way.

He seemed to know how to manipulate somebody with his body, without ever doing anything. And Marco was tired of him. But he had no idea how to beat the game, and Ace said there were no rules. "Play dirty, if you want," Ace said when Marco asked the rules. "Maybe you're just too empty headed to figure it out, though," and he planted a soft kiss on Marco's back.

Marco walked down the hall and to the library as Ace clung to his back, rubbing his hands down Marco's chest. "Hmm, am I not good enough anymore?" He licked up his neck, making Marco tense and feel his face turn red. "Am I a tease? Do I bother you? Am I not good enough?" he asked dramatically as he still clung to Marco's back.

He didn't respond to him in front of others, which gave Ace too much time to talk to Marco, embarrass him, anger him. The teen was incredibly manipulative, and enjoyed it. While they were in the library, Ace jumping from bookshelf to bookshelf, Marco made sure nobody else was around.

"Why are you like this now? You were so forceful and aggressive before."

"Do you like that me better?" Ace simpered, his voice whining in mock hurt. Marco scoffed, and said he didn't like either of them. "How rude. Maybe the dragon has something to do with it. The Moby Dick sure is breakable, isn't it? Made out of wood, so fragile. With enough pressure, it goes 'pop!' like a ballo-" Marco threw a book at Ace, but it landed against the glass door of the other wall shelf on the opposite side of the room.

He was breathing heavily, in rage. "Don't worry. Remember, I said you don't have to worry about the dragon. You shouldn't be so reactive, you're the first mate, aren't you?" Ace simpered. "Must be vigilant." Ace was then next to him and bit his earlobe. "Don't be so flustered, it's too tempting." Marco swatted him away, swearing at him.

"I fucking hate you," he snapped and then took some deep breaths. Ace told him he was rude.

"Insults won't end the game, Marco. You can't win by losing your cool. You'll only make things worse for yourself," the teen said in a haughty voice. Marco looked out of the window, but the library was above water. He couldn't see the dragon if it was there. Marco hated looking out of the windows anymore. Didn't want to see what he couldn't sense.

Izo entered, and said he heard a shattering sound. "What would Izo say if you say you threw it? Hmmm." Ace slid down the staircase and took the pin out of Izo's hair. It fell down and the man started getting angry over his hair being messed up, and he hurried out of the room to fix it. It was so confusing. Ace could be solid, but nobody saw him.

"There you go, some time to clean up your mess. You're welcome," Ace said with a shit eating grin and a wink, disappearing for Marco to pick up the glass and put tape and wood in place. It would need to be repaired professionally, with real glass. He sagged, looking at his hands. He wasn't crazy. Ace would pepper proof of that every now and then. Like touching real objects, leaving his hat around for somebody to find.

Ways to know Marco wasn't insane, he was only trapped in this twisted and annoying "game". He couldn't tell anybody else about it, he wouldn't let them think he was crazy. He was able to keep up his duties, even if he was grumpy and tense during them. He was able to eat meals, even as he was caressed and groped while he did so, with warm and soft hands. Nobody said anything about his red faces. Nobody commented on his strange behavior anymore. It had only been four days of this, and he was already so bad nobody was mentioning it anymore.

As long as he could do his job, he could put the game on hold. Ace seemed more than happy to prolong it. Messing with Marco was enjoyable to him. He wondered if anybody else at that hotel would have seen Ace if they walked in on their kissing. Or if he would just be tonguing the air. Luckily, nobody was there so he didn't need to live with the humiliation of being seen like that.

When he was going to bed that night, Ace wasn't there and it was perfect. He fell asleep just fine, the curtains closed so he didn't see the dragon ghost. He opened his eyes in the morning to a naked Ace laying on top of him, but luckily on top of the blanket. Like usual, he had the boots and hat on.

"Get off of me," Marco grumbled, pushing him off. Ace sighed.

"I look forward to our years together. You'll never beat my game," Ace whispered in Marco's ear. He moved to punch him, but Ace was already gone and his fist didn't even raise. He turned over and put his head in his pillow and screamed in anger. He was losing his temper, this was not who he was.

But he'd never in all his life been so thoroughly annoyed and pissed off at anybody for any long period of time like Ace. This little shit was so good at pressing his buttons. He wanted to kill the brat, but it just wasn't possible. And the dragon he was "not supposed to worry about" might kill them all.

Marco was sure Ace and the dragon had both been with him in the hotel and on the way back to the ship. He couldn't believe he ever thought being friends with a dragon would be amazing. Now, it was a monster that circled the ship, out of sight but not out of mind. Invisible to the others and only sighted three times by Marco.

It may not be seen, but it touched the ship, and everyone could agree to that, regardless of their haki telling them otherwise. And nobody, not even Pops, sensed Ace. Marco couldn't sense him, either. It was annoying, he was always sure he'd turn around and Ace would just be there. Naked or clothed, he never knew what to expect.

He flaunted himself around too much. Even if Marco thought he had a beautiful body, being naked that much was too much. How trivial and simple his mind had been that night. Thinking about a one night stand being nice. He did even have sex with Ace and he wasn't leaving him alone. He felt like he was going mad but knew he wasn't. Somehow.

Cruel though Ace could be, he did not let Marco think he was imagining everything. Ace was there, he just picked and chose who he wanted to see him. And it was only Marco. Even Stefan didn't know he was there. But Ace had once thrown a ball that the dog chased after. Then Stefan came back, but didn't sense Ace right in front of him.

He was in his office one day with Ace sitting on his bookshelf and humming. Whatever tune it was was relaxing, and Marco felt himself letting out a sigh, until Ace clapped his hands and made Marco jump, smearing ink all over his paperwork as his wrist jerked. He clenched his teeth, knowing he couldn't physically harm Ace, who said, "Oops."

Marco calmed his breathing and started again. This time he put ear mufflers over his ears from the winter clothing closet in one of the halls. The quiet was nice, not hearing Ace being annoying, trying to startle him. He got back into the rhythm until Ace pinched his shoulder, making him jerk again.

The commander put his head on the table. He was so done. And he got even worse and more confusing news when Haruta ran in. He saw the mess of paperwork and spilled ink. "Whoa, what happened?"

Marco said he sneezed. "Oh, well, I found your guy. The one you were looking for." His brother handed him a wanted poster. _Fire Fist Portgas D. Ace._ Marco froze, and Ace was in front of him, looking at the paper.

"Hmmm, the plot thickens. Now, you better hurry and beat this game or there'll be _two_ Aces. Even you couldn't handle that," Ace taunted. Marco's hands were shaking in confusion. He asked more about this guy.

Haruta looked worried, but didn't comment on it. "He just turned down an offer to the warlords, and is on his way to the New World. As of this poster, of course."

"When was that?"

"Only a few days ago." Ace had been there for longer than a few days. It was over a week by then. And he was definitely _there._ On the Moby Dick, not in Paradise or on any other ship. Marco asked to keep the poster. "Sure. Are you okay? You're worrying me."

Marco sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm dealing with it myself. I don't need help and don't want to talk about," he said in a clipped voice.

"Mmm, I may be annoying, but you don't need to take it out on your family. Just beat the game and things'll go back to normal. You won't have me to play with," Ace simpered, caressing Marco's face. He did a valiant job not to move his head into that touch. Not because it was Ace, but because he just wanted some comfort.

It was stressful, not just having Ace annoy him all the time. He moved behind Marco and started rubbing his shoulders. "Won't you be sad without me here?"

Marco said, "I'm sorry, Haruta. I didn't mean to be snippy. I just don't want to talk about it right now." Haruta nodded, looking relieved that he got an apology, but was still worried. He hid it on his face as best as he could, but Marco could tell. He left the room and Marco waited until he was gone before turning to Ace.

"I won't be sad without you. I just want you to go away," Marco said. Ace smiled and told him to beat the game, soon. "Why don't you leave? Just leave me alone, please." Ace put his finger on Marco's lips.

He smirked and said, "I'm not going anywhere even if I wanted to. It was your fault this happened. Only you can fix it. Fix it the way you broke it." He said it sweetly. Marco glared at him. How was this Marco's fault?! Ace was the one that approached him and then started this fucking stupid game! He felt the ship tilt and the moaning sound come.

A reminder that it was still there. And Ace was not going anywhere unless Marco beat the game. Fix it how it happened? How did you do this? Was it during the mission? Did this all happen because he couldn't go back and bring the man back to life? He wanted to sleep. But it was not even past dinner yet. Ace was in the doorway, and Marco stared at him. Ace almost had a bittersweet smile on his face.

Then he turned and walked around the corner. Marco knew better than to follow. Ace wouldn't be there. He went wherever he went when he wasn't with Marco. He saw the dragon through the porthole and flipped it off. It didn't respond other than to swim out of sight. He went back to his paperwork, uninterrupted this time.

The night that marked his two week haunting of Ace, them sailing to meet Fire Fist, Marco had enough. He thought he figured out how to beat the game. And if he was right, Ace had been giving him hints from the beginning.

When he entered the room to go to bed, he saw Ace laying on the bed. "Ready for bed, darling?" Ace said in a cocky voice. Marco frowned at him, but Ace kept smiling that infuriating grin. Marco took off his sandals and put his hands around Ace's wrists, holding them above his head. He held them tight. Tight enough that they'd bruise later.

"The game was fun while it lasted," Ace grinned, and Marco kissed him deeply. He disappeared and then suddenly Marco was on a bed that wasn't his own. He recognized the room. Had Ace ever even wanted to do that? He had been giving hints every time he touched him sensually. He smiled, touching his lips.

He looked to the side to see there was a card there. An ace of spades. He didn't know if that meant the game had happened or he dreamt it all. He would like to think it was real, no matter how infuriating it was.

He never wanted to see that Ace again, but he couldn't say it was an uninteresting experience. He got his things together, paid the hotel fee and flew home. He was alone on the ocean. There was no scary presence. The dragon was not there this time. He would get to be home and things would go back to normal.

Pops would sure find this story interesting, even if it never happened.

-x-

"Marco, son," Pops called. "Is this the Ace in your experience?" They never called it a dream, since Marco didn't know if it was. He grinned at the bounty poster.

"That's him."

Whitebeard laughed and then said, "Why don't we see what kind of guy the _real_ one is?"

"Hopefully this one won't trap me in some nightmare game just cause I kissed him," Marco joked. Fire Fist, Portgas D. Ace of the Spade Pirates. He looked at the card he carried in his pocket. Maybe this was all some precursor to make him _sure_ he'd meet the real Ace.

If that was all a dream, well, what was the point? If it wasn't, then it sure as hell made Marco want to meet the real one. He wondered what kind of guy he'd be like.

He didn't know it would be an angry boy who just needed a home and some love, which he would gladly give him.

The End.


End file.
